Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention has to do with disk drive suspensions, and more particularly with limiters useful to limit undue travel of the suspension in the disk drive. Specifically, the invention is concerned with improvements in limiters to better retain engagement of the limiter with the suspension.
2. Description of the Related Art
Limiters are mechanical structures that limit the travel the tongue portion of the flexure makes relative to the load beam surrounding the flexure. Limitation of movement prevents damage to the flexure and thus to the suspension. Movement limitation is need both during lift-off of the suspension from the disk and during shock events such as sharp blows to the computer affecting the disk drive. Limiters are known to be positioned at the flexure tip and at the flexure tongue tip. The present invention is concerned with improvements in the flexure tongue tip type of limiter. In practice this type of limiter, which uses a specially shaped tongue tip to overlie the adjacent load beam portion, the limiter can slip past the opposing load beam surface and disengage if the contact is less than perfect as to angle and position inward on the load beam edge margin. The movement limitation intended is then lost.
It is an object, therefore, to provide an improved disk drive suspension. It is a further object to provide a disk drive suspension having an improved limiter feature. Yet another object is to provide a flexure tongue tip limiter of improved design against slipping and disengaging from the opposing load beam surface. It is a further object to provide a suspension limiter having cooperating tab and slot structure on opposing flexure tip and load beam surfaces to positively engage the surfaces against slippage and disengagement.
These and other objects of the invention, to become apparent hereinafter, are realized in a disk drive suspension comprising a load beam having a rigid portion and a flexure depending from the rigid portion, the flexure having a frame, a tongue cantilevered from the frame and generally spaced at a gap from the frame, and a tongue tip, the tip being movable relative to the frame, the flexure tip having a limiter comprising a continued flexure tip extent projecting out of the plane of the flexure tip and shaped to oppose the frame in frame contacting relation after a predetermined travel of the flexure, the limiter and the frame defining cooperating tab and slot structure arranged so that the limiter intersects with the surface of the frame in the contacted condition of the limiter with the frame against movement of the limiter into the gap.
In this and like embodiments, typically, the flexure tip continued extent defines a tab, the frame defining a slot shaped to receive the tab in intersecting relation, and the slot extends through the frame.
In a further embodiment, the flexure tongue tip continued extent extends normal to the flexure tongue and defines a U-shape open to the plane of the flexure, one leg of the U-shape being attached to the tongue tip, the other leg of the U-shape being parallel to the one leg and defining the tab, the other leg being sufficiently long to intersect with a slot formed in the frame upon the predetermined travel of the flexure, the slot extends through the frame, the frame portion has an edge margin adjacent the flexure tip, the slot comprising a rectangular slot in the frame edge margin, the rectangular slot has a given width, the tab being rectangular and of a lesser width than the slot, and the long axis of the tab is normal to the long axis of the slot.